Does the publication of judgments on the Internet change the outcome of administrative litigation cases? A DID-model-based analysis

Abstract

This article analyses the influence of the publication of judgments on the Internet on the results of administrative litigation cases in China. Due to the particularity of administrative litigation, courts are often subject to the restriction of public power in the trial process, and defendants are in a stronger position than plaintiffs. In 2010, the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) issued the Regulations on the Issuance of Judicial Documents on the Internet by the People’s Courts, which for the first time imposed clear and detailed regulations on the publication of judgments. This Regulation promotes judicial openness and establishes judicial credibility, which is conducive to balancing the litigation status of the plaintiff and the defendant. By sampling 7463 judgment documents from 2012 to 2015 on China Judgment Online, this study applies a difference-in-differences model to determine the influence of the Issuance of Judgments on the Internet Regulation on administrative litigation by form of closure, the plaintiff winning rate, and the withdrawal rate of the plaintiff. The implementation of this Regulation was found to significantly increase the rate of judgment and reduce the plaintiff withdrawal rate, significant impacting the trial results of administrative litigation cases.